Conceptual image of an exoplanet with an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Structures on the right are orbiting solar panel arrays that harvest light from the parent star and convert it into electricity that is then beamed to the surface via microwaves. The exoplanet on the left illustrates other potential technosignatures: city lights (glowing circular structures) on … Read more
The first author Thu Vu Phuc Nguyen, left, and Ido Golding investigated how coinfecting phages can impede each other’s entry into a cell. Credit: Fred Zwicky The process by which phages—viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria—enter cells has been studied for over 50 years. In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois … Read more
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Cats are notoriously picky eaters. But what if we could design their foods around flavors that they’re scientifically proven to enjoy? Researchers publishing in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry used a panel of feline taste-testers to identify favored flavor compounds in a series of chicken-liver-based sprays. The cats particularly … Read more
The ANET-POLENET team flew to remote field sites on Antarctica’s Backer Islands to record bedrock uplift. Ohio State University co-author Terry Wilson is second from the left. Credit: Nicolas Bayou A McGill-led study suggests that Earth’s natural forces could substantially reduce Antarctica’s impact on rising sea levels, but only if carbon emissions are swiftly reduced … Read more
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain While the moon lacks any breathable air, it does host a barely-there atmosphere. Since the 1980s, astronomers have observed a very thin layer of atoms bouncing over the moon’s surface. This delicate atmosphere—technically known as an “exosphere”—is likely a product of some kind of space weathering. But exactly what those processes … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Housing policies may be becoming more pet inclusive, but housing insecurity is getting worse, finds a new study that examined the housing issues that led to owners turning their pets over to an animal shelter. “Over the duration of the study, instances of animals entering shelters due to loss of housing … Read more
Papaya frutis attacked by the papaya mealybug in Baringo, Kenya. The farmers are turning to parasitic wasps to combat the devastating pest. Credit: CABI.org Papaya farmers in Kenya are turning to a novel solution to combat the devastating papaya mealybug pest—parasitic wasps. The mealybug, native to Central America, is a rapidly spreading crop pest that … Read more
Computational simulation of Venus-like mantle convection. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2024). DOI:10.1038/s41561-024-01485-3 New research has revealed that Venus, often considered Earth’s inhospitable twin, may share a surprising geological history with our own planet. Scientists have discovered that Venus’ vast plateaus, known as tesserae, may have formed through processes similar to those that created the Earth’s earliest … Read more
However, since this force is applied at the feet, far from the center of mass (r > 0), it’s going to produce a torque. In this case, the torque would cause a forward angular acceleration, tending to deposit the jumper face down in the sand. So athletes use a few different techniques to counter this … Read more
Temperatures in Japan in July were 2.16 degrees Celsius higher than average. Japan sweltered through its hottest July since records began 126 years ago, the weather agency said, as extreme heat waves fueled by climate change engulfed many parts of the globe. Temperatures in the country were 2.16 degrees Celsius higher than average, breaking last … Read more
